Once a fisherman catches a fish on a fishing line, the fisherman can retrieve the fish by winding in the fishing line if the fish is fairly small and light. For bigger and heavier fish, the fisherman may use a landing net or a gaff hook to retrieve the caught fish from the water.
A landing net includes a net attached to a rigid frame and handle. The landing net can be used to scoop up a caught fish. A gaff hook includes a sharp and rigid hook attached to the end of a handle. The hook is used to puncture a caught fish so as to secure the fish onto the hook, and the handle is used to lift the hooked fish out of the water.
Once the fish is caught on the fishing line, the fisherman winds in the fishing line so as to bring the caught fish closer to the fisherman. Once the caught fish is sufficiently close, the fisherman can land the fish either by scooping up the fish using a landing net or hooking the fish using a gaff hook.
One common problem with landing nets and gaff hooks is that the respective handles can often be too short to reach a caught fish from elevated fishing positions, such as an elevated landing, deck, jetty, bridge, cliff top or a large boat.
It can also sometimes be difficult to land a fairly large and heavy fish using a landing net. In particular, if the landing net is too small, the large caught fish may not properly fit within the landing net or may easily escape from the landing net.
Moreover, gaff hooks are not suitable for use in “Catch and Release” recreational fishing in which the caught fish is released back into the water after being captured. In particular, the gaff hook may fatally puncture the fish during retrieval and thereby seriously hamper the chances of survival of the punctured fish.
The present invention is directed to a device for retrieving a fish caught on a fishing line, which may at least partially overcome at least one of the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.
It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.